DOHA: Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services, popularly known by its brief name RAF, has launched an urgent relief drive for Syrian refugees battling savage cold in Lebanon.
Every winter for the past few years since the Syrian crisis began, the harsh weather has had a devastating effect on Syrian refugees, especially those in tented settlements in freezing areas of Lebanon.
This year has been no exception, as snow and freezing winds have whipped through the makeshift shelters housing large numbers of displaced Syrians.
Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have been living in tented settlements in mountainous inland areas in the north and south of Lebanon, and remain battered, exposed to sub-zero temperatures with no or limited resources to fend for themselves.
In its relief operation, RAF is targeting to provide instant help to 30,000 refugees battling the odds in places like Akkar district, Miniyeh (capital of Miniyeh-Daaniyeh district in the north), Bekka Valley, Beirut and other parts.
The drive is costing RAF QR2.25m and the urgent relief items being distributed to the target groups include food, baby food, room heaters, heating oil, warm clothing and medicines.
A rescue and relief team from RAF has moved, tasked with coordinating efforts with local and international relief organisations to distribute urgent materials to the storm-hit Syrian refugees in affected places.
Arsal, close to the Syrian border with Lebanon, is worst-hit by savage snowstorms and remains cut off from the rest of the world. In sub-zero temperatures an estimated 100,000 refugees are feared stranded and their tented settlements remain whipped through by snow and freezing wind. Food, heating materials, medicines and warm clothing are some of the items urgently needed here, RAF said in a statement. Similar conditions prevail in other areas, including Bekka Valley and there are shortages of not only food but also medicines for children, according to the statement.
The Peninsula
